Ella was beyond troubled.

She couldn't really anticipate how things had taken a turn for them. Sure, she'd accompanied Lucas on the voyage for the "adventure of her life", but she hadn't really expected much. In fact, she hadn't expected anything at all. A merrow? That too, a princess! And to know she was hurt. And then, an encounter with a winged nymph, only to find out there was a whole lot of other faery creatures she'd only heard about in stories.

It made her feel dizzy if she dwelled much on those thoughts. And so she tried hard not to. Red's house was small, but cosy. It smelled of freshly baked sweet bread, making Ella feel hungrier than she already was. The delicious smell reminded her of home. Not the village. Her house was no longer hers anyway. Her stepmother hadn't really let her keep her belongings after her father's passing. Her only home was now a cosy little cottage near the castle. It was all she missed. She was happy. And that was all that mattered.

Cora had come around with a proper, black  pants and a red, buttoned blouse. Lucas was more than glad to have his shirt back. A few moments later, Red came around from the kitchen with a tray with slices of sweet bread and a jug of root beer. She then sat opposite of them. Tori, the winged nymph had taken her leave, saying she needed to check on the "younglings". No one had raised a question, and she'd immediately left. The three stared at the tray, and then at Red.

"Oh come on, it's not poisoned. I know you're starving. It's a long way from the shore to the Glen." She insisted.

"How do you know we came from the shore?" Lucas asked suspiciously.

Red nodded her head towards Cora.

"A merrow doesn't sprout from the ground, now do they?" She joked.

"Thank you, for the clothes." Cora said politely.

Red raised her hand dismissively.

"Completely alright, I've had more bizarre things to deal with," she replied.

Ella couldn't help but smile. Lucas frowned and leaned back in his seat, clearly defeated. Ella then looked at Cora, who sat quietly staring at her hands.

"If you don't mind me asking," Ella started, "how did Tori know Cora was a merrow?"

It was a thought that'd been nagging her. She'd lost her tail for the time being. It's not easy to identify a sea creature, was it?

"Her aura. All creatures have auras. Unlike humans, faery creatures have eyes that can see even the strongest hidden magic with their naked eye, depending on their strength, of course," Red explained.

"That's good to know," Lucas muttered.

"What is this prophecy?" Cora asked.

Silence. It was as if someone had something so sad and dreadful. Red stared Cora dead in the eye. Ella noticed Red's eyes were a dark red. It was unusual, and disturbing. She was sure she'd never seen eyes like those before. But she dared not ask. A more pressing question remained unanswered.

"I don't know the prophecy word by word, but I do know something." She confessed.

"I don't care. Just tell me," Cora ordered softly.

Ella looked over at Lucas, who seemed a little anxious to know as well. She couldn't blame him. He hated it when his curiosity wasn't fed well. She was curious too. The winged nymph had told them that the prophecy had been about Cora, but there were others included. Had she meant that Lucas and her were a part of it too?

"It said that when the seventh child of Triton rises to the world above, the evil most feared will be released. War will fall upon oceans and lands, the world as we know it, will no more be. It's all I've heard, Cora. But all I know is that you're the seventh child of Triton. No one here knows the feared evil. There have been many, terrible villains in the past. It could be anyone. But what I do know is that you can stop it," Red said.

"Me! Stop war? I know nothing about the world! I have a wounded leg, and I can barely even walk straight without having a sarcastic prince carry me all the way! No offense, Lucas." Cora replied.

"None taken," he muttered.

"I just want to go home. Its a ritual, you know, that when a merrow turns eighteen, they get to explore the world above for twenty four hours. And that's it. For a merrow princess, it is her duty to stay down where her home is. It was my dream, to come here. But now I will return. My time here is almost up, and I would love it if you would lead us back to the shore." Cora added.

"But only you can stop this evil! You don't understand...."

"You've got the wrong person! Alright? I'm just a powerless merrow. I'm sorry for letting your hopes down, but I think I'd like to go home now," Cora argued.

Red looked defeated, and sighed. She leaned back in her seat and merely nodded. Lucas looked at Ella, and they both exchanged looks that meant only one thing- to make sure Cora stayed. If there was one thing Lucas and herself believed and had faith in, is that magic existed. That prophecies were true and that there was evil somewhere out there. And to see a winged nymph with their own eyes, it was enough to confirm that their knowledge wasn't just some fairytales cooked up by some drunken idiot in a tavern.

Ella had never completely believed whatever Lucas had taught her. But she did now. She planned on making her friend know that.

"It still a few hours before sunset. Um, help yourself with prophe-- I mean tea, yes tea. And I'll get a pixie to help you with your leg. Get a makeshift support for a while. Make yourself comfortable," Red told hurriedly.

With a frown, she got up and left them in the cottage. The three sat in silence. Then, Lucas cleared his throat.

"I'm not staying, if that's what you're going to talk about," Cora said stubbornly.

"But Cora! It's an evil that's supposed to destroy everything! Including everything underwater," Lucas reasoned.

"Cora, look. Lucas is right. Maybe, let us try to find some more information regarding this prophecy." Ella began.

"Why are you two interested in all this nonsense anyway? I thought you humans preferred to call this rubbish "fairytale muck" !" Cora snapped.

Ella opened her mouth to reply, but she had nothing to say. Nothing to argue about. Why were they interested? She did not know. After a moment of silence, Lucas spoke again.

"Have you ever had a feeling, where you hear stories of adventure and magic, or even dragons, and you dream to be a part of that world, where you can be the hero? You desperately wish to be part of that dream, wish for it to come true?"

Cora raised her head and looked dead in his eyes, mouth slight open in amazement, and slowly nodded. Ella smiled to herself as she watched her best friend openly accept himself, for everything he was.

"Have you ever been mocked, or even made fun of behind your back for dreaming of such a world? Have you ever been forced to believe, that none of it exists at all?" He added.

Cora shook her head. Lucas laughed mockingly.

"This is why I want to be part of this. My father sent me away, on a voyage to man me up. But fate always takes you someplace you can never imagine. In my entire life, I never could have imagined to have met a merrow, and here we are," Lucas said.

"Here we are, indeed," Cora said with smile.

"There's always a reason for everything, Cora." Ella added.

The door suddenly burst open, strong winds gushing in. The swirls of greyish white wind began to take form. Ella yanked Cora away from the chair and stumbled backwards. A figure, clad in black, stood grinning before them. Yellow green eyes glinted maliciously, so terrifying that Ella wanted to hide. She held a staff, a raven perched on top. A black headdress covered the top of her heads, covering the long menacing horns. If it wasn't for her attire Ella would have instantly mistaken her for Tori. But this creature, was beautiful in a fearsome manner. She opened her mouth, a sweet voice, and spoke.

"Yes. And this time, the reason is your imminent death."

_________________

Snap snap snap! I don't think I can ever let my readers breathe. XD
Unfortunately, I have a knack for keeping things a little fast paced.
I don't think I would even have to introduce this beautifully evil character. *Wink* *wink*

Anyways, what do you think? What is this feared evil? What does this unexpected intruder want from them? Also, let me know if the point of view changes are ok for you guys. If not, I'll limit it to just a few characters.

Dedicated for my wonderful friend Nikolai_Watson , my cutie panda. I miss you.

Anywho, hope you enjoyed reading this chapter! Also, I need to change these end of the chapter banners to match the titles. Anyone up for lending me a hand? Tag me or PM me! I would appreciate the help. Also, I wouldn't mind if it's a gif too. XD.

Also notice the cover and title change. Though our main character remains to be a dear sweet little merrow, it's not just about her. It's about everyone. I want to write about everyone's perspective. Villains, heroes, arch nemesis, gods, demigods, sidekicks, anti heroes. Literally everyone.

*Once upon a time theme songs plays in the background*

Do comment, vote and share if you like! Until next time,
Tutz!